Improvement in piano-fortes



UNITED STATES PATENT EntenO DAVID DECKEIL OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN PIANO-FORTES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,731, dated June 2, 1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID DEoKER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented anew and use ul Improvement in Piano- Fortes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ot' this specication, in which- Figure l is a plan view of the stringed por` tion of a square piano-forte constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. is a transverse vertical section of the same..

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in an improved construction of whatis termed,in pianofortes, the full metallic plate]7 whereby I avoid bringing any of the strin g-bearin gs on such plate, and am enabled to bring the connections of the strings with the tuning-pins close to the wrest-plank, and so prevent the leverage and great strain on the pins, which is unavoidable when the strings pass over the plate, as has commonlyT been the case when the plate has been used. By these means I obviate the only objections heretofore existing to the use ofsuch plate, which is so advantageous in all other respects.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and apply my invention, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawings.

A B C D indicate the several portions of the full metallic plate. The portion A ot' the said plate, adj acentto the sound-board bridges a. b c, is of well-known form, and the back portion, B, which is secured by screws g g to the wrest-plank F, is, as in some instruments heretofore constructed, only of such width from back to front as not to reach so far forward as the tuning-pins d d but the portion C, which connects the portion B with the front brace, D, at theleft-hand end of theinstrument, is so much elevated between B and D as to pass entirely over the longer or bass strings e e, thus enabling a wooden bridge, f, to be used upon the wrest-plank t0 form the necessary support for these strings near their tuning-pins, the said bridge f being partly sit-uated under the said elevated portion C of the plate, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and indicated in dotted outline in Fig. l. The said portion C connects with the front brace, D, inthe usual manner, and is secured in front ot' the said brace by screws h la to the blocking G at the left-hand end rf theinstrument. By this construction of the plate it will ne understood that all the strings ot' the instrument are enabled to be supported entirely upon wooden bearings, which is very desirable to produce a good and even tone, and they are also ena-bled to be brought close to the wrest-pla-nk, which is impossible when the plate lits close to the plank and extends beyond the tuning-pins, as the holes provided inthe plate for the pins in that case have to be large enough for the pins to pass through without touching the metal, and the strings are necessarily attached to the pins at a distance from the bea-ringot' the latter in the plank equal to the thickness of the plate. By bringing the strings close to the plank the great strain on the pins, consequent upon having them at a distance above, is avoided, and the instrument keeps longer in tune and is rendered altogether more durable. To provideforthe tuning of those strings which pass under the said elevated portion U ot' the plate, there are made in the said portion of the plate, opposite to the tuning-pins cl d of the strings, holes t' i, large enough to permit the application of a tuning-key to the heads ofthe said pins.

Yhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Elevating the portion G of the plate in such manner that it passes entirely over a number of the longer or bass strings ce ofthe instrument, and enables the said strings to pass between it and the wrest-plank, and so enables a wooden bridge,f, to be used upon the wrest plank for the support of those strings, and the said strings to be brought close to the wrest-plank, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

DAVID DECKER.

Vitnesses:

DANIEL RonEE'rsoN, M. S. PARTEIDGE. 

